Can you swim backstroke in a triathlon

It's a good triathlon swimming stroke to use when you need to rest or recover while still moving forward in the water. It also helps you get your bearings if you get disoriented, and because your head is above water, it allows for easy sighting. Breaststroke is an excellent alternative to stopping in the water when you need to rest. With so many swimmers near each other, it's easy for even an experienced triathlete to become overwhelmed. Instead of stopping and treading water to reset, you can keep moving with breaststroke while you catch your breath and get your bearings.

Many swimmers have a strong freestyle but struggle to perfect their breaststroke. Follow these best practices to improve your form and generate more power from your stroke:.

Depending on the event, backstroke may not be permitted, so it's best to check with the race host to be sure. If you do decide to use backstroke, there are a few things to keep in mind. When in a pool, you can generally use patterns on the ceiling or other markers to help you swim in a straight line.

Out in the open water, this is more challenging and could result in a collision with another swimmer. Also, in a triathlon swim, rolling on your back is usually a sign of distress and may signify that you are struggling or in danger. We suggest using backstroke sparingly when you need a break. Although Butterly may be a popular choice for pool swimming, it is not a choice that most would go for when swimming a triathlon due to the energy and intensity it demands to perform it well.

In a triathlon setting, endurance is vital, so we recommend opting for a different stroke. There are six ways to improve your swim. Focus on proper form for the following parts of your stroke:. Improving your body alignment is the best way to decrease drag. Refining your body position leads to a more effective swimming stroke—improving power, endurance, and speed. Proper body position includes making your body as long as possible and floating parallel to the ground, as well as a fixed head positioning.

Practice keeping your gaze downward with a long, relaxed neck. Proper contact with the water helps you get a good catch of the water and minimizes shoulder strain and unnecessary movement. Your hand should draw a line from your side around and into the water, in line with your shoulder. It is crucial to ensure your hand entry is not too wide or too narrow and fully extend your arm when entering the water. I personally disliked swimming breaststroke with a wetsuit, my legs were often too high in the water or even outside of the water.

I somehow compensated for it with my back which gave me back pains. Make sure you try it before your race. Also, consider the time it might take you to remove it during the transition, beginners might be better off swimming without one for really short distances Super Sprint or Sprint.

Depending on the temperature of the water, the decision of wearing one or not might be taken by the race organizers. Please note that the wetsuit should not be thicker than 5mm. Here is a summary per federation for age groupers:.

If a swim cap is provided by the race organizer, which is the case in most triathlons, it is mandatory to wear it. Altering it in any way may result in a penalty up to disqualification. If triathletes want to wear a second swim cap, it should be worn under the official one. In all triathlons I have been part of, the swim caps were provided by the race organizers. As a general rule, all equipment that is helping your propulsion or your breathing is forbidden.

This article is going to focus on a specific stroke, the breaststroke. First, a few distinctions of the breaststroke. It is the only stroke, of the competitive strokes, with an underwater recovery.

The body, when swimming breaststroke, is in the least efficient position to move through the water. For many, the stroke is very difficult to learn because of the complexity and coordination required. Due to the underwater recovery of the stroke, inefficient body position and the highly technical skills needed, it is the slowest of the competitive strokes.

So why would anyone want to swim a stroke that is more difficult, less efficient and slower? Remember, we are not swimming a true breaststroke but a modified breaststroke. The rules required in competitive swimming are not mandatory when swimming the breaststroke in a triathlon. This allows adjustments that provides triathletes the ability to relax and build confidence while advancing through the water. There are three good reasons to use the breaststroke during a triathlon.

If a swimmer has gone off course, they are able to gain their bearings. Thirdly, swimming a modified breaststroke enables the athlete to keep the head above water, making sighting more natural and much easier. The frantic frenzy that can be created by friendly, fellow participants trying to swim around, over, under and through competitors can put even the most experienced swimmer in a distressed state.

Often swimmers will stop, tread water to regain their composure. Stopping cost time and positions. A better solution, slow down, relax and swim breaststroke. The arms and legs slow down allowing the swimmer to recover, collect their thoughts and refocus.

The head can be kept above the water allowing the swimmer to catch their breath. Swimming in a pool one is guided by the lane lines and the black line on the bottom of the pool. It provides direction and security.

There is a consistent path, back and forth, wall to wall. Open water swimming can become disorienting at times with the head in the murky water. When swimming freestyle, the best way to breathe is turning the head to the side. To maintain awareness of their position freestyle swimmers will lift their head to look forward for buoys or landmarks.

However, when swimming breaststroke a breath is taken with each stroke, with the head looking forward, not to the side. Swimming breaststroke allows swimmers to sight with each breath because their head is looking forward. Lifting the head with each breath enables the swimmer to continually get an idea of where they are, who is around them, and where they are headed. Keep zigzags to a minimum with consistent arm placement. The key to backstroke is good upper-body rotation with a motionless head.

Try to roll your left shoulder to your chin as the right pinky enters the water and vice versa. A safety stroke is one that you are comfortable doing in open water when you are feeling tired, anxious, or just need to adjust your goggles. Its main purpose is to allow you to catch your breath and lower your heart rate at any moment during an open-water swim.